How to use this app
A walkthrough of casting a reading and the features that build on it.
A reading in five steps
1. Ask a sincere, open question.
Frame it as an enquiry, not a yes/no. Instead of "Should I eat the cake?", try "What if I eat the cake?", "How can I think about the cake and my choices?", or "How will eating the cake affect those around me?"
2. Add context.
The Context field helps the oracle (and, later, the AI) understand the situation: people involved, timing, constraints, what you've already tried.
3. Pick an interpretation style.
Modern is the default. Chu Hsi is the classical Neo-Confucian method. Master Yin uses yin/yang priority rules. See Interpretation Styles for the full explanation.
4. Cast the hexagram and read the basic interpretation.
The app generates six lines server-side using the equivalent of the three-coin method. Your hexagram, its themes, and any changing lines appear immediately.
5. Sit with it — then go deeper if you want to.
Advanced Interpretations (5 coins) generate a longer, AI-written reading that weaves your question, hexagram, and changing lines into a personalised interpretation. Chat with the oracle (1 coin per message) lets you ask follow-up questions to explore further.
Coins & subscriptions
Coins pay for Advanced Insights and chat messages. You can top up at Buy Coins. A subscription removes ads and grants a monthly coin allowance.
Saving and revisiting readings
Every reading auto-saves to your readings. You can revisit, share, or continue the conversation any time.
What the I Ching is not
The I Ching is a mirror for reflection, not a fortune teller. It is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice. Use the insights as one of many inputs in your decision-making.
Common questions
- Is the I Ching a horoscope?
- No. A horoscope draws on the date of birth and the position of celestial bodies; the I Ching draws on a hexagram cast in response to a specific question. They are different kinds of practice.
- Can the I Ching predict the future?
- The I Ching is best understood as a reflective mirror rather than a predictor. The text does not forecast events; it offers an image to think with about the situation you brought to it.
- I Ching vs tarot — which should I use?
- Tarot is a deck of 78 illustrated cards usually read in spreads; the I Ching is a book of 64 hexagrams, one of which is cast in response to your question. Tarot is better for narrative; the I Ching is better for structural questions. See our I Ching vs Tarot page for a full comparison.
- Is the I Ching a form of fortune telling?
- Historically, yes — it was a divination text. In modern reception it is more often used as a contemplative tool, especially in the lineage of Carl Jung and Richard Wilhelm, than as a fortune-telling system.
- Does the AI know what my reading means?
- No. The AI synthesises traditional commentaries and offers a plain-English interpretation of the hexagram and your question. It does not know your situation; you bring the meaning. Treat the AI's response as one voice in a conversation, not the final word.
- How is this different from a daily horoscope?
- A daily horoscope is a one-to-many broadcast; an I Ching reading is cast in response to your specific question at this moment. See our Daily I Ching page for a daily practice that uses the I Ching reflectively.